On opening day of the International Senior Invitational, a trio of players from Scotland put an emphasis on the international component of the event.
On opening day of the International Senior Invitational, a trio of players from Scotland put an emphasis on the international component of the event. On a relatively calm day at Cartersville (Georgia) Country Club, Scotland played its way to the top of the leaderboard alongside a team from Utah.
Interestingly, the Scotland team didn’t even tap Derek Paton, arguably its all-star, in the play-three-count-two team format on Thursday. Paton, winner of the 2021 Irish Senior Men’s Amateur Open, fired an opening 77 that included only one birdie. Teammates Bryan Innes and Ronnie Clark threw out more than enough birdies to make up for that, however. Innes put up a 66 that left him second individually and Clark posted a solid 73.
Utah’s Shane McMillan held the individual lead after Day 1 of the 2025 International Senior Amateur.
Utah, meanwhile, got its edge from Shane McMillan, the Bountiful, Utah, resident who put up an opening 7-under 65. McMillan put together a colorful card that included eagles at Nos. 6 and 11, both par 5s, and six birdies to go along with them.
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Both Utah and Scotland are 5 under as a team, which leaves them only two shots ahead of the team from South Carolina that features one of the top in-state seniors in Rick Cloninger. He posted 70 while Yancey Johnson had 71.
England and Florida are right behind that at even par.
At the outset of the event, the team from North Georgia featuring two former U.S. Senior Amateur champions – Bob Royak and Rusty Strawn – plus Cartersville member Chad Branton could have been considered the favorite. That threesome is in contention, though they’re six off the pace.
In the opening round, Branton led the way with an even-par 72. Branton cruised through the start of the round and had gotten it to 4 under by No. 11 before a double bogey at the par-4 12th ended his run. He closed with bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17.
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Royak added a 73 and, after opening with three bogeys, Strawn posted a non-counting 79.
Notably, the team from Iowa featuring reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion Mike McCoy – who posted 69 and is solo third – is tied for eighth with Pennsylvania at 2 over.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Scotland, Utah rise to the top on opening day of International Senior Am
Source: Utah News